How times have changed.
It’s only been a day since the maligned former Falcons quarterback was partially reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. And already, rumors are flying about where he’ll end up. Vick was given permission to participate in team practices and meetings but won’t be able to play in a game until at least Week 6.
He hasn’t stepped on a field since 2006, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Pundits, fans and bookies alike are running wild with ideas about which team could be the one to give him a second chance.
His road to redemption won’t be easy, though. Former Colts coach Tony Dungy told ESPN.com that the three-time Pro Bowler may have to work hard to regain any sort of respect in the NFL and in society.
“I know the public will be skeptical,” Dungy said, “but I think, over time, people will find there’s a different side to him than what they’ve seen so far.”
Dungy, who will mentor the quarterback as a condition of his reinstatement, is enthusiastic that Vick will prove he is a changed man.
“I think Michael deserves the chance to show people he has changed and learned from past mistakes,” he told ESPN.com, “but my true hope is that he will make sound decisions about his future and, at the same time, let people know more about the person that I’ve come to know recently.”
Vick’s peers in the NFL are ready to see him return, taking to Twitter to criticize Goodell for slapping Vick with a six-game suspension.
Titans running back Chris Johnson was especially effusive in his support, tweeting, “THE NFL TRIPPIN THEY NEED TO LET MIKE VICK PLAY HE ALREADY BEEN IN JAIL 2 YEARS D— W– IM UPSET.”
Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett added, “Man ths [sic] conditional reinstatement is whack as h— Let the Vick play alrdy wht else he has 2 join d— PETA. He did his time.”
So who should be expecting to share locker space with the former star?
According to BetUS, New England (4/1 odds) has the best chance of nabbing Vick, followed by Buffalo (4/1), Minnesota (7/1) and Miami (13/2).
